


Subtle in the eyes of others

by xx_kaze_xx



Category: Doctor Romantic 2, 낭만닥터 김사부 2 | Dr. Romantic 2 (TV)
Genre: Doldam Hospital, F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-13
Updated: 2020-03-22
Packaged: 2021-03-01 03:41:30
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 13
Words: 6,990
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23128705
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/xx_kaze_xx/pseuds/xx_kaze_xx
Summary: They tried not to show their affection in front of others, but somehow the people at Doldam Hospital was able to notice the hints.
Relationships: Cha Eun Jae/Seo Woo Jin, Seo Woo Jin/Cha Eun Jae
Comments: 37
Kudos: 208





	1. Oh Myung Shim

She noticed the change of the atmosphere around the two of them almost immediately.

Nothing really changed about them though. Not much anyway. They attend to their patients, discuss the cases when it overlapped with their specialties, having coffee breaks near the vending machine.

But somehow, she was able to detect the tones of their speeches.

Dr Cha’s especially. She was used to Dr Cha speaking to Dr Seo in an irritated tone, like when he called her during operation and Dr Cha was berating him over the phone. Or her professional tone, where she is in her doctor mode.

So when they were discussing at the nurse station in the ER, she was surprised when Dr Cha spoke to Dr Seo in a sweet tone, with a soft look in her eyes, even when they were discussing something serious.

On one occasion, she heard him calling her Eun Jae. Not Dr Cha, or Cha Eun Jae as he usually calls her. By accident, of course.

He corrected himself, calling her Cha Eun Jae instead but Nurse Oh has two perfectly working ears. It does not escape her attention that Dr Seo cleared his throat and continue his discussion with Dr Cha as if nothing had happened.

Sure, they had known each other for over a decade. But still, ever since both of them first arrived at Doldam, that was the first time Nurse Oh had heard him calling Dr Cha so affectionately.

And in another rare occasion, she saw Dr Seo smiling at Dr Cha when he thought no one was looking. But she caught him, and there was eye contact between her and the male doctor who was quick to break eye contact and neutralise his facial expression immediately.

“Dr Cha," she started when she sat down at the opposite side of Cha Eun Jae. They were in the staff lounge, taking a break after an operation. “Are you and Dr Seo seeing each other?"

Dr Cha almost spurts the coffee that she was drinking.

“N-no. Why would you think that?"

“Just a hunch," she said then sipping her coffee while studying a flustered Dr Cha over the rim of her mug.


	2. Jang Gi Tae

It was early Saturday morning. After their normally busy Friday night, they were finally getting some much-needed rest in the staff room. As the responsible manager, Jang Gi Tae brought everyone juices & coffees.

And like every time he passed around drinks, he noticed that Dr Seo never take any from him.

Even when he was offering them as an apology a few months ago, Dr Seo never did accept any drinks from him but accepted his apology.

Maybe he didn’t like sweet things. Maybe next time he should just offer him some mineral water.

But then he saw Dr Seo taking a sip from a bottle of juice. Jang Gi Tae was so sure he didn’t take it when he offered so how is he drinking from one now? 

He counted the bottles in his tray. Two bottles left. One was actually for Dr Seo, and the other was just an extra bottle. He counted the bottles in everyone’s hands and even on the coffee table. 

Maybe he already bought one before Gi Tae had the chance to pass the drinks. But Gi Tae didn’t see Dr Seo holding anything when he passed the drinks around. Maybe Dr Seo did grab one when Gi Tae was not looking because everyone has their drinks.

Except for Dr Cha. She was so immersed in her conversation with Nurse Oh that maybe she had forgotten to take one.

Manager Jang was about to approach Dr Cha to pass her the extra bottle when suddenly Dr Seo passed her the half-full bottle that he has been drinking from before leaving the room.

Jang Gi Tae stopped in his track, look at the bottle in Dr Cha’s hand then to her face alternately. 

He noticed that Nurse Oh too was glancing at the bottle in Dr Cha’s hand with a grin, but Dr Cha was now chatting with Dr Yoon so she did not notice Nurse Oh sudden interest in the bottle in her hand. 

Dr Cha was laughing at something Dr Yoon said when he saw her unscrew the cap before taking a huge gulp from the bottle.

Ooohh, indirect kiss.

Jang Gi Tae shook his head at his train of thoughts. Wait, that was not he was supposed to focus at.

This is interesting.

Dr Seo probably does not need his help, but Gi Tae was still going to show him the website that he showed to Dr Kang Dong Joo a few years ago.


	3. Jung In Soo

An angel!

A petite angel with bobbed hair and dimpled smile, but an angel nonetheless.

That angel raised her hand for a high-five and that was how he passed the baton to Angel Yoon Ah Reum.

After changing the shift with Dr Yoon, Jung In Soo left the ER without a backward glance. He was glad the day was over. The first thing he needs to do is call his wife. Hopefully, his Byul is still awake.

He was on the way to the doctors’ lounge when he heard it.

A woman’s voice.

Singing.

He slowed down his pace and look around the hallway. The waiting hall looked strangely dimmer, and there was nobody around. Even the manager on duty was not at the front desk.

Okay, that was a bit creepy.

He heard of stories in the hospital, of course. But hearing it with his own ears gave him a shiver.

He mustered up his courage to focus on the voice.

It was coming from the doctors’ lounge.

In Soo approached the door slowly and put his ear to the door.

Great voice. And too pleasant to come from a ghost.

When he opened the door, he saw Cha Eun Jae at her desk singing with her earphones plugged in her ears. Beside her, sat an occupied Seo Woo Jin, flipping through a thick medical book.

“Cha Eun Jae! You almost gave me a heart attack. I thought it was a ghost!”

Cha Eun Jae jumped in her seat and fumbled with her phone upon hearing her senior’s voice.

“I was singing to my niece,” Cha Eun Jae explained, shaking her phone in her hand. “Uhh, kiddo, aunty need to go now. Sweet dreams,” she said before ending the so-called phone call.

“Nice song, though,” In Soo commented before entering the changing room. 

He was grinning to himself while changing his clothes.

He probably should not tell them that he actually opened the door just a sliver before barging in and caught Seo Woo Jin gazing at Cha Eun Jae adoringly while she sang.


	4. Uhm Hyun Jung

It was infrequent, but sometimes they were able to gather at On Your Way.

Today was one of the rare days. Where most of them were able to have meals and drink (except for a few others who had to hold the fort at the hospital).

On top of the rare things happening today, she cannot believe her eyes when she saw Dr Cha joining them for the first time. The tall doctor arrived about half an hour later, wearing a jacket that seemed too big on her.

That army green jacket looked familiar though.

On a male’s body.

A tall cranky male.

A tall grumpy male doctor.

Namely Dr Seo Woo Jin.

Her glass was suspended mid-way from her mouth, eyes wide with realization. She glanced around the table to see if anybody else noticed, but they were too busy laughing at Manager Jang who was being teased by Nurse Oh.

Maybe it was not his. Maybe Dr Cha owned the same jacket. Hyun Jung decided to keep it to herself.

But then, she noticed Dr Cha sniffing the jacket with a small smile on her lips.

Okay, that was weird.

Hyun Jung shook her head lightly. Maybe Dr Cha had a cold.

Just when Hyun Jung was about to dismiss the thought, she caught Dr Cha sniffed her jacket again. 

She should probably watch the doctor for a bit more. Maybe it was just her imagination.

Throughout the night, Dr Cha sniffed her jacket three more times. Each time she did it, Hyun Jung saw the dreamy look on her face.

So when Dr Yoon left her seat beside Dr Cha, Hyun Jung decided to ask: “Dr Cha, what softener did you used for your clothes?”

Hyun Jung noticed Nurse Joo turned her head towards them at her question with a puzzled look on her face.

“Why so sudden?” Dr Cha said, giggling at the unexpected question, “I’m not using any softener though,”

“It’s just that I noticed you keep on sniffing your jacket. It must have a very nice smell,” Hyun Jung said and took a chug from her glass while grinning. Dr Cha gave her an awkward smile and did the same with her own drink.

It was at that moment Nurse Joo took a closer look at Dr Cha’s jacket after witnessing the bizarre exchange.

Hyun Jung can literally see the moment when realization dawned on Nurse Joo.

“Dr Cha, isn’t that—”

“Oh, this one? It’s so good, isn’t it? Dr Nam is such a great cook.” Dr Cha said hurriedly while shoving something in Nurse Joo’s mouth. Hyun Jung did not manage to see what dish did she grabbed with her chopstick, but from the look of it being suspended in Nurse Joo’s mouth, it was just kimchi.

The look of shock on Nurse Joo’s face, together with a flustered Dr Cha was enough to send Hyun Jung in a fit of hysterical laugh. She gets a few glances thrown her way, but nobody paid her any attention.

It was at that moment Dr Yoon returned to her seat, look around at her three companions and ask, “What did I missed?”


	5. Joo Young Mi

“Are they really not seeing each other?” she said to no one in particular when she saw them talking quietly next to the vending machine. She was told by Dr Yoon that both of them were not in that kind of relationship, yet (Dr Yoon did mention there is a possibility though).

They were smiling at each other. Smiles are a good sign. Though smiles can be directed to anybody.

But not Dr Seo’s smiles though, she thought as she stared at the hint of a smile on the doctor’s lips. He should smile more often. It totally changes his cynical face. The guy was so stingy with his smiles that she only heard about it from Nurse Uhm, once. Now that she saw it in person, she wished she was there to witness it the first time. Nurse Uhm did say he looked so cute.

He looked cute now, smiling so widely at something Dr Cha was saying. Dr Cha was not smiling though. She was laughing her head off, sloshing coffee in the process.

Young Mi noticed Dr Seo took the cup from Dr Cha’s hand and put it on top of the vending machine. He grabbed her coffee-stained hand and said something that Young Mi was not able to hear. Dr Cha stopped laughing immediately but was now blushing profusely, her free hand reaching for tissue from her pocket to wipe her dirty hand.

It was Dr Seo’s turn to laugh and Young Mi stared at his face again.

That was a rare one. She should take a video of that laugh. Now she has something to brag to Nurse Uhm.

When she saw Dr Seo tucking some stray strands of hair behind Dr Cha’s ear and kissed her cheek, she gaped at the sight and flee from her hiding spot.

She felt like a peeping tom, but now she got some gossip to tell.


	6. Yoon Ah Reum

The next day after their brief counselling session at the staff room, Yoon Ah Reum wondered whether her senior had gathered her courage to confess to Seo Woo Jin sunbae.

Because she saw no progress at all.

She was expecting them to announce their declaration of love to the rest of Doldam family but no such thing happened for the whole day.

Or the next day.

And the day after that.

They were still not on speaking terms with each other.

No, they did talk to each other, but there was still tension in the air.

Like what is happening right now. There were having a heated discussion in the office hallway, but with the glass door closed and considering the distance from the ER, Ah Reum was not able to know what they were arguing about.

Ah Reum saw Cha Eun Jae sunbae walked away angrily from Seo Woo Jin sunbae towards the doctors’ lounge. Seo Woo Jin, still being his grumpy self, turned his body and was walking towards ER when he saw Ah Reum watching him.

When he arrived at the nurse station, Yoon Ah Reum gave him a tiny smile as if to communicate to 'hang in there'.

He was ignoring her. Makes sense. She just saw them quarrel.

But she was still curious so she decided to just get on with it.

“Did Cha Eun Jae sunbae tell you anything?”

“About what?”

“About… _anything_?” she emphasised on the word, hoping he would get the gist of it.

Nope. Nothing.

Her senior just stands there, looking at her blankly before he switched his attention to the laptop in front of him.

Ah Reum sighed and was about to walk away when he said “Maybe you should talk to her instead,” without looking up from the laptop.

Ahhh, he wanted her help!

“Will do, sunbaenim!” she said before sprinting towards the doctors’ lounge.

But Cha Eun Jae sunbae was nowhere in sight. She looked into the changing room, the beds, the staff room, her office.

Everywhere.

Their second counselling session will have to be on hold then.

That evening when she walking towards the staff room to take a coffee break, Ah Reum caught a glimpse of a tall female entering the staff room.

Finally!

She quickened her pace and was about to enter when she saw that Cha Eun Jae sunbae was not alone.

Seo Woo Jin sunbae was already inside the room. He rose when he saw Cha Eun Jae sunbae entering the room.

So Ah Reum does what she did best.

Eavesdropping.

Cha Eun Jae sunbae was saying something about her meeting with her mother. Seo Woo Jin sunbae was silent during the whole one-sided conversation.

Suddenly, she heard Cha Eun Jae sunbae said, “It was all your fault,” before grabbing the collar of his white coat.

Oh no, that can’t be good. The last time she did it, she was calling him a betrayer.

But what she did next shocked Ah Reum out of her skull. Cha Eun Jae sunbae pulled Seo Woo Jin sunbae for a kiss!

Ah Reum covered her mouth to silence her gasp and retreated slowly.

And collided with another body. She turned immediately and was quite relieved when she saw it was Park Eun Tak.

“What are you doing?” he asked before she can stop him. She put her finger to her lips and snatched his wrist to drag away the clueless Eun Tak.

The next morning when Ah Reum saw Cha Eun Jae sunbae in the doctors’ lounge, her senior was blushing when she said, “You saw it yesterday, didn’t you?”

“Yup,” Ah Reum replied while grinning, “I will not tell others if you don’t want me to.”

Cha Eun Jae sunbae was smiling at her gratefully before Ah Reum said: “You still have to spill everything to me though.”


	7. Park Eun Tak

He was curious.

After he caught Yoon Ah Reum outside of the staff room, he interrogated her but she kept her mouth shut. For someone who likes gossiping so much, she sure can keep a secret.

Glad to know that, actually.

But still, he was so curious that he kept an eye on her all day.

What did she saw that evening?

He was in the ER doing inventory check when he noticed her approaching Dr Jung.

Was it Dr Jung that she saw that day? Is there anything wrong with the doctor? After he rejected the offer to another hospital, Dr Jung was still as cheerful as ever, but nobody knows what is going on in his head. Probably there was trouble back at home?

Maybe it’s not him, he thought when Dr Yoon thanked her senior and walked away without any suspicious activity.

Was it Manager Jang then? He remembered some time ago he saw the manager dancing in the staff room, but Eun Tak just walked away without entering. He was afraid Manager Jang would be embarrassed if he barged in, so he kept it to himself. 

Maybe Ah Reum saw him dancing that night?

Or was it Dr Nam Do Il then? But he was only in the hospital when they needed him. He would be at On Your Way most of the time though.

Then he heard Dr Seo called Ah Reum’s name before he signalled with his head to meet him outside the ER. She looked around her before following him out.

Now that was suspicious.

Dr Yoon disappeared from his sight, so Eun Tak moved to the cart, pretending to do inventory check while watching them through the glass.

He saw her bowing ninety degrees to her senior. Dr Seo said something that caused her to straighten her back then she shook both her hands and her head frantically as if denying something.

Park Eun Tak thought he saw a miracle that day. 

He saw Dr Seo chuckled before ruffling Dr Yoon’s hair affectionately. Then he walked away towards the office.

Eun Tak replayed the hair-ruffling in his head and decided that he doesn’t like it at all.

Dr Yoon watched her senior’s retreating back before turning around. She met Eun Tak’s eyes through the glass window at the door and looked taken aback. She recomposed herself and smiled at him briefly before disappearing out of sight.

Again. 

Suspicious.

The next time he saw her, she was talking to Dr Cha. He saw the twinkle in Dr Yoon’s eyes when she talked to her senior. 

She was teasing Dr Cha openly, and the doctor looked somewhat embarrassed and uncomfortable. Dr Cha mouthed something to Ah Reum and shooed her away.

Dr Yoon was giggling but stopped when she met his eyes again. She looked at Dr Cha then at him, alternately, repeatedly, then took a big gulp, gave him an awkward smile and scurried away.

So there were two persons in this equation then.

Someone owes him a long explanation.


	8. Bae Moon Jung

Seo Woo Jin had told him he was dating Cha Eun Jae, the next day when they started dating. After all, he was Woo Jin’s confidant ever since his junior consulted him when Cha Eun Jae was going to leave Doldam Hospital. 

Moon Jung was happy for them. Happy for Seo Woo Jin who was finally getting what he wanted after living his crappy life, all because of his father (and Moon Jung’s father for that matter).

He was asking Moon Jung to keep it a secret to the rest of Doldam family.

He was fine with that.

But then, Moon Jung started to notice little things Seo Woo Jin did to show his affection towards Cha Eun Jae.

Only when Moon Jung was in the vicinity.

One time, he was chatting with Manager Jang at the front desk when Cha Eun Jae approached them. She wanted to consult him about her patient with rib fracture and Seo Woo Jin, who just stepped out of his office, saw them together and decided to join the conversation. Even though he had no input for it.

Another time, when the two of them were on their way back, Seo Woo Jin would drape his arm around Cha Eun Jae’s shoulder when they passed by Moon Jung’s office.

Not only that, but he would also casually touch her, like tucking her hair behind her ear, palming her face when she was cold or rest his chin on her shoulder or head when she was watching something on her laptop.

But of course, he did all these when there were no other people besides the three of them.

It was cute at first when Seo Woo Jin did those things.

Then, it became annoying.

He could see that Cha Eun Jae thought so too, judging from her actions lately. Nowadays, Cha Eun Jae would try to distance herself, glare at him or try to free herself from his hold.

Though she cannot fool Moon Jung (and Seo Woo Jin, since he kept on doing it). She can act like she did not like his attention, but Moon Jung can see her hiding her smiles whenever he showed his affection.

One afternoon, when he was eating his lunch and it was just him and Seo Woo Jin in the doctors’ room, Moon Jung decided that he had enough. He slammed his utensils, took a deep breath before saying: “I’m not going to deny you of this newfound relationship, but can you do it moderately? You’re making the lonely person in me jealous on purpose, didn’t you?”

Cha Eun Jae just stepped out of the room after being paged. Just a few minutes ago, Seo Woo Jin was playing with Cha Eun Jae’s fingers before her phone beeps. He had ignored her multiple attempts to free her hand from his hold, so Eun Jae just let him be.

Seo Woo Jin’s swivelled his chair around to face his senior, his lips tipped up in a victorious smile before saying: “It’s 1-1 then.”

Bae Moon Jung was sure that Seo Woo Jin can see the question mark forming on top of his head because he explained a few seconds later: “Cha Eun Jae told me she used to have a crush on you, sunbaenim,”

Bae Moon Jung was dumbfounded for about ten seconds before rebutting, “That was a long time ago!”

“So you knew about it then?” Seo Woo Jin folded his arms, squinted his eyes while openly scrutinizing his senior.

Bae Moon Jung decided to ignore his question. “So all that touching was just for revenge? Does Cha Eun Jae knew that you can be petty?”

“Yes, she knew. She figured it out earlier than you,” he said proudly while grinning.

“You sure can hold a grudge, Seo Woo Jin,” Moon Jung said, picking up the chopsticks to eat his forgotten lunch.

“Now that we’re even, you won’t be seeing any of that as frequently as before, sunbaenim.” His junior said before swivelling back to his desk.

End of conversation.

Thank God.

Bae Moon Jung could not imagine what Seo Woo Jin would do if he told him that he bought her dinner a few months ago.

His heart was not ready to be tormented yet again.


	9. Yang Ho Jun

He heard the rumours from the nurses. Not that they were gossiping with him. He just overheard them saying there is a new couple in the hospital.

Yang Ho Jun’s first guess was them.

How can he not? He caught them kissing in the OR!

Oh?

Look at that.

That was bold of her.

She was staring at Seo Woo Jin openly ever since they started the meeting. The guy was focusing on what Director Park was saying so Seo Woo Jin did not notice Cha Eun Jae watching him.

She probably felt that Ho Jun was watching her because she turned her head to look at him.

Ho Jun smirked.

So she redirected her eyes to look at Director Park instead.

When they ended the meeting, he met Professor Shim for a while to talk about the operation schedule. And when he entered his office a few minutes later, he saw Cha Eun Jae sitting at her desk, flipping through documents.

Huh.

That was rare.

Ever since she smacked his head, both she and Seo Woo Jin were hardly in the office. And like every time he sees her nowadays, he fought the urge to rub the back of his head.

And as per usual, ever since that day, she did not even bother to greet him. 

He didn’t mind it.

Nope.

Didn't mind it at all.

He was checking one of his patients’ file when Cha Eun Jae said: “Sunbae.”

Ho Jun lifted his head and looked around.

Only the two of them in the room. He turned to look at her. She was looking at him directly.

And did she just call him ‘sunbae’?

“You’re talking to me?”

“There’s only us in the room, isn’t it?” she paused, weighing whether she should continue with her inquiry before saying, “You’re a guy.”

“Clever of you to notice that.”

She ignored his sarcasm.

“What would you feel if a girl you like has to be away for quite some time?”

Is she asking him for advice?

That was new.

He raised his eyebrows as if asking her whether she’s seriously asking him that, but her expectant look answered his non-verbal question.

Ho Jun set the file aside and decided to play along.

“For what purpose does this girl having to be away?”

“For work?”

Ho Jun thought about it for a while, simulating it in his head before saying: “If it’s me, I’ll be anxious. Is she really going to be working only? What if she decided that working at a small hospital wasn’t for her? What if she found someone new there and decided to stay, leaving me alone here? There are a lot of ‘what ifs’ if you ask me,”

He sounded like a real counsellor. He mentally patted himself in the back before continuing, “You just have to imagine like when men have to go to do their duty for the country. What would you feel then? It’s the same thing. Why do you think most couples break up when the men have to serve in the army?”

She looked miserable. 

Okay, he probably went a bit far.

“But, he’ll understand. You said you’ll be away for work, didn’t you?” he picked up the file again, browsing through before saying “You and Seo Woo Jin seemed to ignore my warning about dating each other, huh? Director Park used to hate it but he doesn’t say anything to you, so I guessed he was okay with this?” 

She looked shocked.

Oh? 

He was not supposed to know about them?

But people were talking!

“What are you talking about? Me and Seo Woo Jin?” she huffed while averting her eyes. She was contemplating about it before looking at him again, pleading with her eyes. “You’ll keep it a secret, won’t you?” 

He gave her his signature smirk before saying “What secret are you talking about? The nurses were talking about both of you!” 

She was visibly horrified. Her eyes and mouth were wide opened, at a loss for words.

Ho Jun snorted.

What a funny looking face.

He just let her gather her thoughts while he read the file.

A few minutes later, she stood up abruptly and bolted out of the door. She came back a few seconds later, stood at the door with her hand on the knob and said: “It was nice talking to you when you are not being a jerk, Ho Jun sunbae.”

Not waiting for his comeback, she ran out. Probably escaping from his verbal abuse.

That was wise of her.

And after she left a few days later, he found Seo Woo Jin in their office with a deep frown on his forehead and the nerve to ask him: “Ho Jun sunbae, when do you think is a right time to contact a girl you like when she’s away?”

These guys. Just because he had been a better person these days, they were treating him like a counselling centre.

It was easier being the bad guy.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for all your comments & kudos! It was the encouragement that I needed to keep the series going. There are still a few people left, but I don't know whether I will be writing their POV because I ran out of ideas >.<


	10. Shim Hye Jin

Today was a tiring day.

Who would have thought of working in a countryside hospital would be this busy? And ever since Director Park became chummy with Kim Sabu, Shim Hye Jin’s workload has increased.

There was not enough time to even talk to her son. Perhaps she should bring her son here with her?

From the look of it, Director Park will be staying here indefinitely. Dr Yang has also become friendlier towards the staff here. Not by much though. He still has his sharp tongue but at least he did not make enemies with every step that he took.

All of them were settling in.

Speaking of settling in, she noticed that somebody has settled quite nicely on the sofa judging from the soft snores that she heard.

She took a closer look.

Dr Cha Eun Jae.

She’s back?

A lot sooner than last time, too.

She was supporting her head with her fist on the armrest. That looked uncomfortable.

Hye Jin was about to wake her up when the doctor opened her eyes.

“Prof Shim, is the surgery over?” Dr Cha said the moment she saw her.

“Yes, we just finished. I’m going to change now and head back home.” the young doctor was looking at her drowsily. “Why don’t you do the same, Dr Cha?”

“Uhm, I just arrived. Not sure if I can drive in my condition,” she slurred, eyes closing briefly before she opened them again and shook her head lightly. “Please don’t mind me. Have a safe trip back, Prof Shim,” she said while grabbing a cushion and hugging it tightly. She leaned her head against the back of the sofa and a few seconds later, Shim Hye Jin heard her soft snores again.

Shim Hye Jin was dismissed.

Feeling incredulous, she snorted before turning around to head into the changing room.

When she came out a few minutes later, she saw another person has joined Dr Cha on the sofa.

Dr Seo.

He was resting his head on top of Dr Cha’s head, which was now leaning on his shoulder.

Hye Jin tiptoed towards them, making sure that she made as little noise as possible. This is too good to be missed. She needs to see this with her own eyes. It was not every day that she was able to witness a gossip in the making.

He was still wearing his scrub. He probably saw Cha Eun Jae on the sofa when he entered and instead of waking her up, he fell asleep next to her.

They looked nice together. How adorable, their hands were intertwined as well.

They make a great picture.

Maybe she should take one.

Oh, what the hell. Just do it, she thought while taking out her phone and snapped their picture.

Done. 

She slipped her phone back into her pocket.

Now, should she wake them up?

Nah, just let them be. If she wakes them now, they will probably be embarrassed later.

She should just let the next person who barges in later to have the fun.


	11. Nam Do Il

He heard about them from Manager Jang.

Which of course sounds legit at first, since he has a large network.

But then, Manager Jang’s guesses were not always accurate.

The second time, Nurse Oh has voiced out her suspicions against them. If it was from Nurse Oh, then it might be true. Because Nurse Oh was not one to spread baseless rumours.

And, like Dr Kang Dong Joo and Dr Yoon Seo Jung, Dr Seo and Dr Cha were discreet.

Not that he sees them that often though. Every time he bumps into them when they were together, Dr Seo and Dr Cha looked like normal co-workers.

He was talking to Manager Jang when the manager suggested interrogating Dr Seo.

Now that would be a bit difficult. Dr Seo does not look like one to talk about himself.

So, Manager Jang said alcohol needs to be involved.

He called it ‘Guys Night Out’.

No fancy bar though. Just a night out at On Your Way. Probably better that way.

Therefore, that night, Manager Jang dragged a reluctant Dr Seo. Nurse Eun Tak and Dr Jung showed up shortly after that. Because without additional guys, there will be no ‘Guys Night Out’.

All of it was Manager Jang’s idea.

He was crafty like that.

So, when they had settled down, Nam Do Il provided them with a steady stream of drinks and food.

Let the interrogation begins.

Manager Jang kept it light. He was asking Dr Seo about how well is he settling down at Doldam. How are the staff treating him? What does he think about Kim Sabu?

Finally, he gets straight to the point.

“By the way, Dr Seo. I noticed you and Dr Cha seemed quite cosy with each other lately,”

“We’ve known each other for more than a decade, after all.” Dr Seo grabbed his glass and took a huge gulp.

“Cosy enough to share drinks from the same bottle?”

Dr Seo cleared his throat. “Of course. Don’t you do that with your friends?” he drained his glass and Nam Do Il took it as a cue to fill his glass.

“Cosy enough to give her a necklace?” Dr Seo stared at Manager Jang and gave him a slight smile. He broke eye contact to grab a piece of dried squid before chewing it slowly.

No answer.

Nam Do Il and the other two looked at each other.

There was a necklace involved?

But at the rate that he’s going, he will probably be drunk in no time. He did not know what Dr Seo is like when he was drunk, but isn’t drunken revelation is the most honest admission of all?

Nam Do Il served them budaejjigae and filled Dr Seo glass again before taking a seat at the head of the table.

He cannot miss this.

Dr Seo was on his fourth glass when his phone rang. He fumbled with the phone in his pocket before answering.

“Cha Eun Jae,” he answered drunkenly. Automatically, all four pairs of eyes turned to look at Dr Seo expectantly.

Then he continued, “These guys were asking me about us. What should I tell them?” he slurred into the phone.

The conversation at the table had long died down as they focused on his phone call.

“I can’t. They already knew,” then he whispered, “They also knew about the necklace,”

Nam Do Il chuckled, as did the other three.

Suddenly, Dr Seo shoved the phone to him and said “Eun Jae wants to speak to you, Dr Nam,” before dropping his head, banging it hard against the table.

Ouch.

He winced, put the phone to his ear and just managed to say hello when Dr Cha bombarded him with “Dr Nam, was that Seo Woo Jin that I heard crashing? Did he just blackout? Can you keep him there? I’ll pick him up later,” he heard her taking a deep breath before saying in a small voice “Are you able to pretend like you don’t hear what he just said?”

He glanced at his other sober companions around the table and looked directly at Manager Jang before saying, “Dr Cha, I think that would be impossible.”.

She sighed.


	12. Park Min Guk

Park Min Guk bumped into them twice this week.

Not literally though.

Once, when he just arrived at the parking lot in front of the hospital one morning.

He saw a couple alighted from a car and was on their way to the entrance, when suddenly, the girl pulled the guy’s bag, causing him to stagger backward before she sprinted forward. Not one to admit defeat, the guy chased after the girl, grabbed her from behind, twirled her around, and leave her there before he himself leapt for the handle.

The guy closed the glass door and held it close while teasing her from inside. She was saying something while shaking the glass door. The guy laughed, then opened the door widely to welcome her, but instead, he received slaps on his arm.

Park Min Guk saw their grins before they disappeared from his sight.

That was some sight to see early in the morning.

How irritating.

Then, on another day, he was about to walk down the stairs when he saw them at the front desk, talking to Manager Jang. Suddenly, the guy looped his arms around the girl’s neck in a loose headlock. The girl elbowed him lightly, repeatedly to free herself until he relented.

The joke was a bit rough but Park Min Guk saw their teasing smiles while talking to each other.

How annoying.

Park Min Guk would not want to see it for the third time in one week, so he had to summon the pair to his office.

They were standing in front of his desk, their head bowed, their hands clutched in front of them.

They looked like students waiting for their punishment.

Park Min Guk was not one to care about others. But when it involved his staff and the hospital, he might have to take action.

“I believe it has been known to others that I don’t really like my staff seeing each other?”

“Yes,” Seo Woo Jin answered.

“And yet I keep on seeing both of you flirting with each other on the hospital compound?”

They exchanged looks before looking at the floor again.

This seriously felt like a principle reprimanding his student.

“It won’t happen again, Director,” Cha Eun Jae said, head still bowed.

“I don’t really care if you’re seeing each other, but the flirting better not happens in front of me again. It makes me uncomfortable,”

Both of them lifted their heads, eyes wide with disbelief and expectation.

“We’ll be careful, Director,” they said at the same time before looking at each other again, smiles playing at their lips.

They did it in front of him again, albeit unintentionally.

Park Min Guk scoffed and dismissed them.

A few seconds after they walked out, Cha Eun Jae returned and cracked open the door, peeked her head through it and called his name. When he lifted his head, he saw her giving him finger hearts, her eyes crinkling with her smile.

He snorted before waving his hand to dismiss her again.

If it was the previous Park Min Guk, he would have thought it was infuriating.

Now, he saw it as endearing.

As expected, this countryside hospital had mellowed him down.


	13. Kim Sabu

He did not mean it to be but somehow, he probably deserves another nickname in Doldam Hospital.

Cupid?

Matchmaker?

Because how come most of the doctors under his supervision manage to couple up nicely with each other?

There was Kang Dong Joo and Yoon Seo Jung.

Now it was Seo Woo Jin and Cha Eun Jae.

Both couples had their own history before coming to Doldam. It was a total coincidence that he managed to pair people who had prior history. It cannot be avoided though. They all came from the main hospital, so of course they had to know one another.

For Kang Dong Joo and Yoon Seo Jung, he did not pair them on purpose seeing that Seo Jung was already working at the hospital for five years before Kang Dong Joo arrived. However, for Seo Woo Jin and Cha Eun Jae, he was partly involved because he was the one who recruited them.

He knew rumours were flying around. He was not that clueless. But both of them never declare anything to others.

Thus, the groundless rumours.

Because nobody had yet to confirm anything. 

But Kim Sabu knows better. He can practically see sparks flying around both of them when they were together. 

After all, he was called ‘romanticist’ for a reason.

The nurses were gossiping again when he arrived at the nurses’ station in the ER to check the X-ray result of his patient. And they decided to include him in their circle when Nurse Uhm asked him: “Did you hear about the latest rumour, Kim Sabu-nim?”

“What rumour?” 

“About Dr Seo and Dr Cha?”

He raised his head, stared at Nurse Uhm for a few seconds before saying “If you have time for rumours, then why don’t you use that time to go check on the patients?” 

She looked stunned before hurriedly grabbing her stuff, anything that she can grab just to scurry away from there.

He switched his focus back to the screen.

And as if on cue, Seo Woo Jin arrived at the station a few seconds later asking about his patient’s CT scan result.

Kim Sabu kept his eyes on the screen while he said, “Seo Woo Jin, did you hear about the rumour?”

He can literally see the nurses’ ears perked up at his question.

“About what?”

“About you and Cha Eun Jae,” he glanced at Seo Woo Jin’s face. Seo Woo Jin kept his expression neutral before asking “What about me and Cha Eun Jae?”

“Not sure. Ask them. They know it better,” he said, tilting his head towards the nurses at the station who was watching the exchange avidly. Kim Sabu turned to leave the station to check on his patient on Bed 3.

The nurses looked fidgety under Seo Woo Jin’s stare. Kim Sabu had to hide his grin.

He noticed Seo Woo Jin did not ask them anything.

Though a few minutes later, he heard Seo Woo Jin’s voice asking: “Hey, Cha Eun Jae. Did you hear the rumour?” Kim Sabu glanced at the new arrival at the nurses’ station.

Cha Eun Jae stopped at the end of the station before saying “No, I didn’t.”

“Apparently, they were saying that both of us were together,”

“Oh, really?” she glanced at the nurses, looked back to Seo Woo Jin and said “I wonder where did they heard that, huh?”

They stared at each other for a few seconds with secret smiles playing on their lips before parting ways.

Kim Sabu scoffed.

Those cheeky guys.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It took me a few days but it's finally done!!!
> 
> A lot more chapter than what I had planned originally. I was actualy planning to write until Bae Moon Jung's story, but then I saw the comments and decided to write more. Some of the people that I wrote were a bit out of character (Yang Ho Jun & Park Min Guk especially, and also Seo Woo Jin's drunken behaviour). Sorry for that
> 
> For those who didn't know, there is another continuation to this story called "Subtle in the eyes of Woo Jin & Eun Jae", written in Seo Woo Jin & Cha Eun Jae POV.
> 
> With these 2 stories finished, I hereby declare I'm going to stop writing about them.
> 
> But then, I never ship any couple so hard like I shipped them, so there will probably be another.
> 
> Probably.
> 
> Don't count on it.
> 
> Anyway,
> 
> Thanks for reading!!


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